Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for July 2013

Help others Take Action – share Eyes on Apes!

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CSNW is a really unique place. We have seven amazing beings under our care, whom as you know are of utmost importance around here and truly run the show! Well, Jamie does anyway 😉 And we love to share stories about each of their personalities and their day-to-day lives.

For instance, today has been a continuation of the heat wave that has hit Cle Elum, but before the hot afternoon sun came around we did a breakfast forage on the hill which everyone loved. Here’s Foxie enjoying a piece of grapefruit:

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After we cleaned the playroom, Denice and I filled a kiddie pool with cool water, and harvested some black currents we have growing in the garden. We spread the currents around as a forage and also dropped some into the water. Jody and Jamie especially loved it!

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CSNW is also pretty big on education and advocacy. Eyes on Apes is our advocacy group and we really want to help make a difference for apes everywhere. The Cle Elum Seven truly serve as ambassadors for the life that all chimpanzees in captivity deserve, and for their wild counterparts who need our help to protect their habitat. This is only something we can achieve with your help! If you haven’t joined the Take Action e-mail list, do that today! Share our Facebook page, and re-tweet our plea for more followers on Twitter.

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Thank you, Jenna!

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Today was sponsored by one of our wonderful supporters in Canada, Jenna Miles! It thrills and amazes me that these very special beings have gone from spending decades suffering in biomedical research, unknown to most, to living in sanctuary and being loved and cared for by so many people around the world. Thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees, Jenna!  Negra (left) and Jody (right) send pant hoots, along with everyone else.

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Freedom

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Imagine not having the freedom of choice or not being able to choose how to spend your day. Imagine not knowing what it feels like to walk in grass or have the breeze blow on your skin. Imagine living alone in a 5 x 7 cage for most of your life without another to keep you company. For most of us, this is hard to imagine; however, many chimpanzees have been stripped of their freedoms and forced into the medical, pet and entertainment industries.

This week I am reminded how precious freedom is. At Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, we strive to give the Cle Elum Seven as much freedom as possible. And while a sanctuary does not provide the complete freedom that chimps would find in the wild, we do give them the second best alternative. I am pleased to know that many more will be given the opportunity to experience freedom now that the National Institutes of Health has announced their plan to retire hundreds of chimpanzees. I hope that other chimpanzees will get to experience the freedoms that the Cle Elum Seven have.

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Foxie has the freedom to choose what doll she wants to play with.

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Jody is free to spend her day making nests out of bamboo.

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Burrito has the freedom to choose what he wants to eat during his forage.

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Negra is able to spend her day in a cozy nest of blankets.

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Missy and Annie have the freedom to form a special bond with each other.

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Jamie is able to spend the day outside, running and playing.

Thank you for supporting us and providing the Cle Elum Seven with the freedoms they deserve. I wish you and your family a Happy Fourth of July!

In memory of Lassen Pig

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Today was sponsored by Kerrie Wooten, in memory of her friend, Lassen Pig.  Kerrie shared a very touching story about Lassen:

“I first met Lassen Pig on July 1, 2004 when I interned at Farm Sanctuary in Orland, CA. He was a young, happy, sometimes cranky, spoiled pig and I grew to love and appreciate his personality. In 2006 I began working at the sanctuary and I was thrilled to be helping to take care of Lassen every day. Last year, on October 4, 2012 (the day after my birthday) we said goodbye to Lassen – he was a little old man, but I still saw the young, spry pig I’d first met years before. My wish is to honor the memory of my dear friend by helping the chimps, who deserve to have a joyous, fulfilling, carefree life the way Lassen did.” 

Kerrie, this is such a sweet and generous gift!  Thank you so much for helping to give Lassen, and the chimps, wonderful lives.

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